Three months after the final global spiritual tide ended, when the spiritual energy in Yuanshan Town had thinned to nearly undetectable levels, Song Miaozhu silently lifted the white mist within the illusion during the deep of night.
In the illusion, Xiaozhu Mountain now appeared overgrown with bamboo and choked with wild weeds. It looked no different from a remote and uninhabited mountain.
Although the fog vanished during the night, the SEIU's constant surveillance quickly detected the change.
"Report! The white mist around Xiaozhu Mountain has disappeared!"
"We can now scan conditions inside the mountain!"
"So far, there are no signs of human activity."
...
The SEIU immediately held an emergency meeting in response to the anomaly on Xiaozhu Mountain. The Lingcheng branch, being the closest, entered full alert.
Still, to avoid any misunderstanding, no teams were sent to investigate just yet.
"Team Leader Zhao, have you been able to contact anyone from Xiaozhu Mountain?"
"No," Zhao Huoyan replied, having tried every channel since receiving the report.
Neither Song Miaozhu nor any of her people had responded. Messages via WeChat and text went unanswered. Calls were ignored.
He even spent the last of his stored spiritual energy to send a letter via spiritual paper kite. The kite returned with the letter completely untouched and unopened.
"In fact," Zhao Huoyan said, "three months ago, right after the spiritual surge ended, I met with Yan Feng. She said their side would be suspending all spirit core transactions and not renewing the underworld storage lease. After that, we never heard from anyone on Xiaozhu Mountain again."
"Even the little paper servants managing the stored relics returned to the SEIU. All items once held in the underworld warehouse were sent back."
"Reach out to any cultivators who were friendly with Master Song. Ask when they last contacted her."
"Two and a half months ago."
"Chen Yuanyuan had lunch with her at the Spirit Cuisine House in Yuanshan Town back then. She said Master Song seemed to be hinting at a farewell."
"Chen Shuanghe also chatted with her on WeChat during that time. Master Song encouraged her to improve her cooking skills and start transitioning her spiritual cuisine restaurant into a regular establishment. She told her not to rely too heavily on spiritual energy."
...
"Did she know something before the rest of us did?"
"Leave? But where would she even go?"
"Did the surveillance team detect anyone leaving Xiaozhu Mountain?"
"No one."
"Hey... is there a chance that she ascended?"
"Impossible. Even Master Yu caused a global surge just by reaching the White Spirit stage. As for ascension? That's on a completely different level. The surges these past few years were all triggered by Master Yu and others. She couldn't possibly have ascended during that time."
"Right, and there should've been some kind of sign if she had. Ascension can't happen without at least a little commotion."
"But wasn't her last advancement quiet too?"
"Have you forgotten the five-year-long global surge before Yu Lichuan's breakthrough? What if that was her doing too?"
"Master Yu's breakthrough only caused a one-year surge. If someone triggered five years of surging, what realm would that require?"
"According to Master Yu and the others, after reaching White Spirit, the distance to the multicolored light gate feels like just two or three more levels."
"Xiaozhu Mountain hasn't released any spiritual energy in years. We have no idea how much personal spiritual blessing she received from her breakthroughs. It couldn't have been a small amount."
...
"Team Leader Zhao, try reaching her one more time. If we still don't hear back, lead a team to Xiaozhu Mountain. We must confirm the safety of our 'Number One Elite Master'."
"Yes!"
The only SEIU field team in Lingcheng that still retained spiritual power set out immediately. They crossed a rusted chain-link fence and entered the thick bamboo forest. There was no sign of the infamous "quagmire" once reported by foreign cultivators. No blinding white mist either.
Only tangled weeds and tall bamboo surrounded them.
"Nothing."
"Still nothing."
"This doesn't look like a place anyone's lived recently. It's as empty as the old Yunwu Mountains."
"These bamboo shoots have been cut, but it must've been years ago."
"There's a new peach grove here. Records say Xiaozhu Mountain never had peach trees before."
"We found what looks like Master Song's old residence. Isn't this the burned pagoda tree?"
"It's grown again. Surprisingly large, too."
"But this place looks like no one's lived here since the fire."
...
Zhao Huoyan and his team swept the entire mountain, calling out the names of Song Miaozhu, Zhangli, Yan Feng, and the others as they searched.
They kept going until sunrise.
But they found nothing.
Not even a trace of spiritual energy lingered on the mountain.
When dawn broke, townspeople looked toward Xiaozhu Mountain as they did every morning, only to realize that the mountain, once veiled in white mist like a snow-capped peak, had suddenly turned green.
"Even Master Song couldn't hold out?"
"But isn't there still a cultivation base managed by the SEIU? Spiritual energy is still erupting there, right? Master Song has advanced countless times and kept all that energy locked to herself on the mountain. How could she not hold out?"
"Haven't you read the SEIU's latest report? They're not even sure when the spiritual tide truly entered its final stage. Master Song definitely advanced before any of them. Once you reach White Spirit, the heavens themselves acknowledge you as a high-tier cultivator. With a cultivation far above the rest, and her own mountain full of spiritual energy, who knows what level she really reached?"
"If that's the case, the white mist shouldn't have disappeared now."
"But it has. That leaves only one explanation. She no longer needs to hide her home behind it."
"She's not living there anymore?"
"Then where is she living?"
"What if… she went up there?"
"The sky? You mean she ascended?"
"Come on! Let's go see for ourselves what's going on at Xiaozhu Mountain!"
...
As people from the town began to ascend the mountain, the SEIU agents stepped back to give them space. But no matter who looked, no one could find any sign that Song Miaozhu had ever been there.
That made the "ascension theory" spread even further.
"If she didn't ascend, why is there no trace left at all? Even her subordinates vanished without a sound!"
"So that old saying is true: 'When one ascends, even the dog gets to ride the clouds.'"
"If I'd known she might bring people with her, I'd have begged to work on that mountain as a janitor!"
"I really want to know… what does the immortal realm look like?"